Once freed from the moral shackles of society, human beings must embrace moderate and disciplined lifestyles to avoid a fatal descent into barbarism. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, abandoned schoolchildren abandon the confines of civilization for a wild and unequal lifestyle. Joseph Conrad describes a steamboat captain's journey down the Congo River and realization of humanity's inherent evils in Heart of Darkness. Both Golding and Conrad construct microcosms to chronicle the dangers of both engaging in a decadent existence and denying humanity's capacity for harm. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay William Golding's Lord of the Flies exemplifies humanity's descent into transgression with the isolation of schoolchildren on an island paradise. The boys survive an attack that cripples their transport plane and initially become acquainted when the pragmatic Ralph blows the "shrill sound" of a conch shell (Golding 16). The assembled youth, though disoriented, hold a parliamentary session and elect Ralph as leader. Ralph firmly insists on both maintaining a signal fire and building shelters. However, the other boys, led by the seditious Jack Merridew, prioritize fun over practicality. Jack transforms his "wearily obedient" regiment of altar boys into a greedy band of hunters, sacrificing signal fire for the prospect of meat as a ship passes close to the island (20). A deceased paratrooper becomes "tangle[d] and festoon[ed]" among the island's jagged cliffs, his indistinguishable presence confirming the boys' notions that a beast inhabits the island (96). When the acutely sensitive Simon suffers an epileptic seizure, the grotesque pig's head enlightens the boy about the beast's intangible presence in all humanity. Simon flees the forest in an attempt to inform his peers of their misunderstanding; however, the masked islanders kill the “lively little boy” in a profound statement of truculence (24). Jack instigates the formation of a separate, uncouth tribe. Piggy, an intellectual dwarfed by his "ridiculous body," begs Jack's tribe to return his stolen glasses, the precious fire-generating tool, but suffers a fatal blow from a boulder during his final plea for civilization (78). Jack's tribe declares Ralph an outcast, stages a manhunt, and burns the island in a mass effort to extinguish any objections to their savage behavior. During the hunt, the "burning island wrecks" signal the presence of a warship nearby and prompt the boys' rescue (202). Lord of the Flies warns against overindulgence and meaningless work. Ralph gives meaning to his existence on the island by constantly working for survival and rescue. Jack engages in fun and purposeless activities. For example, Jack does not need to expend all his energy hunting to provide the islanders with plenty of meat. In another example of indulgence, the boys light an excessive amount of fires, which cost the life of a young boy with a "mulberry-colored birthmark" (Golding 86). The pragmatic Ralph insists on parliamentary order, democracy, and prioritizes rescue over selfish pleasures. For example, Ralph does not discuss whether or not a beast exists, but instead asks for a consensus to allow for a solution and then focus attention on saving. Ralph treats his classmates with dignity and enforces the rules to ensure justice. On the contrary, Jackmanipulates rules for control and punishment. Piggy sees regulations as tools for survival. Jack, Ralph's antithesis, indulges in the "brilliant world of hunting," ignoring signal fire and shelter building (71). Jack fervently despises Ralph's orderly meetings and uses "bitter mimicry (91)" to belittle both the boss's statements and Piggy's "nefarious speech (15)." Dominant and loud, Jack's rejection of morals and work ethics provides an example for other young people. Golding suggests that moral restrictions arise from societal influence rather than personal values. The “overwhelming sea and sweet air” of the island removes the boys from social restrictions and tests self-morals and ethics (Golding 58). Roger wants to attack the younger children with rocks, but the "taboo of the old life" holds his arm (62). Jack, bound by social rules, fails to execute his first captured pig. Jack's domineering attitude, however, helps him abandon the lessons of civilization. Boys, similar to civilization, attempt to stifle any suggestion of their imperfections. For example, Roger kills Piggy after condemning his schoolmates for their wild behavior. By having children commit horrific acts of violence, Golding suggests that amoral behavior develops from uncontrolled instincts, as opposed to negative experiences. Simon's interrogation by the Lord of the Flies serves as the novel's primary example of humanity's capacity for harm. Translated by Beezlebub, the Lord of the Flies represents the devil present in all humanity. The "pig's head on a stick" speaks to the innocent and philosophical Simone and mocks the islanders' banal search for a tangible beast (143). The beast exists as a part of every boy on the island as well as every human on earth. As highlighted by Jack, avoiding the beast allows the dark side to emerge unrestricted. Simone, for example, makes an "effort to express the essential illness of humanity" before the assembly. However, his attempt crumbles under Jack's scathing commentary (89). Jack, after ignoring the "stealthy boy's" insights, becomes progressively barbaric (22). Jack, like other hunters, masks his face with paint, making him indistinguishable from animals. Bloodlust seduces the hunters with every kill, and the boys appreciate the means by which they mutilate the pigs. Boys prefer to hunt a single physical beast rather than recognize their own dangerous facets. Therefore, the islanders extinguish the threat of the beast's intangibility by killing Simon. In Conrad's Heart of Darkness, a traveler aboard an English "cruising yawl" recounts his journey through the menacing African Congo and shares his traumatic first-hand account of colonization. (Conrad 135). Charlie Marlow, an avid sailor and map enthusiast, recalls his "appoint[ment] [as] skipper of a river steamboat" (143). After arriving at the company headquarters, Marlow travels for two weeks to the company station, observing the “dying forms” of the starving slaves (156). Marlow befriends the company's chief accountant and later begins a "two-hundred-mile wandering" through the disturbing interior of the Congo in search of Kurtz, a notorious ivory trader (160). Marlow reaches a second outpost only to find that his waiting steamboat is missing essential rivets. Eventually, Marlow sets out again for Kurtz's station, sporting a crew of cannibals, pilgrims, white men armed with poles, and the station director. Marlowencounters unexpected difficulties when the natives ambush the anchored steamboat and kill the helmsman. The Company approaches the post and encounters a Russian "harlequin", who informs Marlow of Kurtz's debilitated state (212). Marlow meets Kurtz and attempts to convince him to seek medical attention; However, the long-winded merchant does not want to abandon his unfulfilled ambitions. Kurtz entrusts Marlow with vital documents and a photograph of his fiancée, reluctantly boards the steamboat, and dies shortly after. Following the death of the "eloquent ghost", Marlow falls ill and returns to England (250). Marlow, once recovered, consoles the grieving Kurtz "Destined" with fables about the merchant's virtues, concealing the truth of Kurtz's impropriety (242). Heart of Darkness shows the dangers of succumbing to an indulgent lifestyle. Kurtz, intending to educate and help the indigenous population, ultimately abandons his goal for the prospect of manipulating the indigenous population. respect and obtaining "abominable satisfactions" (Conrad 241). Lacking control in the “gratification of his various lusts,” Kurtz's need for consumption preoccupies his mind and spirit (221). Kurtz loses himself over time and detaches himself from everything earthly, so his isolation slowly drives him mad. The merchant's existence proves painful because he is unable to complete his obsessive goal of "achieving great things" (238) . Kurtz "opens his mouth voraciously" on his deathbed, suggesting that he wishes to consume the world around him (245). “The horror” Kurtz exclaims represents his reflection on life (239). Marlow falls ill and dies within an inch of his life, suggesting that he might have shared Kurtz's death if he had not left the temptations of the Congo. The enigmatic and compelling environment affects Marlow deeply. For example, Marlow perceives his heartbeat and the beat of the drum as indistinguishable as his instincts resonate with the "conquest of darkness" (246). Conrad also criticizes the ritual of meaningless work. As he approaches the Company's station, Marlow witnesses a grove filled with chained slaves, enduring lives of hardship and useless labor. As he darkly observes, slaves find no apparent value in life and feel apathetic towards death. Marlow, in contrast, engages in work of his choice and self-interest. The sailor takes offense at the "flabby, feigned, weak-eyed devil" of colonization because it lacks organization, exemplified by the Company's decaying machinery and confusing administration (155). Marlow believes that such disorganization implies a poor work ethic. However, Marlow finds comfort in observing the vociferous accountant because his dedication to his work contrasts with the idleness around him. Kurtz erases the meaning of his life by indulging in a self-centered lifestyle. In his final days, Kurtz regrets his decisions and realizes the ineffectiveness of his existence. Throughout Heart of Darkness, Conrad comments on humanity's natural and primitive instincts which, if undeveloped, result in savagery. In an example of abandoned morality, the warden and his uncle believe that Kurtz "should be hanged" in order to increase revenue (Conrad 229). In essence, the two Europeans are proposing an uncivilized and hateful solution to an economic problem. The cannibals of Marlow's crew ironically convey far more principles and civilization than the "white men with long sticks" (162). Kurtz, distanced from society's moral standards, becomes the sole governor of his own actions and thus deteriorates to the point of "absolute savagery" (140). For example, Marlow discovers a note written by Kurtz that encourages him.